How to Survive Convention Housing (And Actually Get a Room)

By Ryan Lewis, Convention Manager

What day of each year do you dread most? Spring cleaning? First day of school? Your birthday? Tax Day?

For some Free Will Baptists, it may be the opening day of convention housing. From website crashes to reservation mix-ups to hotels selling out of rooms in five minutes, it cannot be denied the housing process has its challenges. Many attendees have endured these frustrations at one time or another. For that reason, as convention planners, we continually strive to improve the process.

One frequent complaint is how quickly the room block sells out. This is due in part to overbooking, as attendees reserve more rooms than needed to ensure places for their group. That is the reason—after our last visit to Tampa, no less—the convention implemented a policy anyone canceling convention hotel rooms is charged a non-refundable fee of the first night’s room and tax for any canceled reservation.

However, while the cancelation fee is non-refundable, the room is transferable between individuals. Attendees transferring reservations must call the hotel to switch the name on the reservation. The nafwb.org website makes it possible for individuals to post their available rooms for other attendees (and for attendees without a room to find one in the block).

Overbooking by attendees in years past also led to the convention paying attrition penalties for empty rooms. For that reason, the room block in convention cities has been adjusted to reflect a more accurate number of “needed” hotel rooms, making it more likely the convention fulfills its contractual obligations.

On the opening day of registration, hotels only accept reservations online. Links become live at 9:00 a.m. CDT on opening day. In 2023, after several years with limited challenges, the sheer number of visitors to the site (more than 30,000 clicks in only a few minutes) took the site down. The Executive Office has once again upgraded Internet capabilities to prepare the site to handle all reservations without delays or crashes.

Please note: Groups making eight or more reservations can contact the Executive Office (convention@nafwb.org) before April 1 for more information regarding group reservations.

This year, four hotels are available for convention attendees: the Tampa Marriott Waterside, adjacent to Tampa Convention Center; The Embassy Suites, connected by sky-bridge to the center; The Westin Tampa Harbour Island, a block from the center, right on Tampa Bay; and the Hotel Tampa Riverwalk.

Be alert for more updates in the February-March issue of ONE Magazine.

About the Writer: Ryan Lewis is convention manager for the National Association of Free Will Baptists. For additional information, visit www.nafwb.org.